Jimmy set down his coffee cup, looked into Justin's eyes, and said, "Okay."

Justin nodded, glanced at his watch, and said, "Then let's set off in a bit."

At the InterContinental Hotel, Justin arrived in Jimmy's car; the doorman took the keys from Jimmy and drove the car away, while Justin led Jimmy inside. There had been no changes inside the InterContinental Hotel recently. Justin greeted the black receptionist and headed straight for the elevator to the rooftop of the hotel.

Winston must have received the notification already; he was dressed in a deep brown casual suit, without any extraneous accessories, looking very spirited. He was sitting at a table adorned with a coffee pot and cups, with half a cup of coffee in front of him, implying he had been waiting for some time.

As Justin and Jimmy approached, Winston stood up and said, "Welcome to the InterContinental Hotel, Jimmy, my friend."

Coming face to face with Winston, Jimmy shook his hand and said, "Good afternoon, good to see you again, Winston."

Winston replied, "Take a seat. Justin, thank you."

Justin moved to Winston's side while Jimmy sat opposite Winston, with Justin walking around to the other side of the table to pour coffee, adopting the posture of a waiter. What's more, he seemed quite proficient, as though he was naturally a server.

Jimmy was taken aback; he had assumed that Justin was an external collaborator of Winston's, and their relationship should have been that of client and contractor. But now it appeared that the relationship between Justin and Winston was not that simple; after all, not just anyone was qualified to eavesdrop on the boss's conversations or to provide on-site service.

Winston said, "I apologize that we haven't had an in-depth conversation before, although we've met once. I didn't know you had such combat skills, merely designating you as a service provider was really an underestimation. Fortunately, it's not too late now."

Jimmy commented, "It seems Harry has met with you."

"Of course, and I haven't thanked you for Harry's return alive; he's an old friend of mine," Winston replied.

Jimmy smiled, "Ah, it's nothing. At first, I didn't know who he was. I just thought he was a master and it would be a pity for him to die just like that. May I know who arranged the bounty task?"

Winston shook his head, "The arrangements made at the administrative center are beyond my control, sorry, I have no knowledge of it."

Jimmy said, "No worries, I was just curious. This case wasn't originally mine; I'm just assisting them."

After taking a sip of coffee, Jimmy was somewhat surprised: "The coffee tastes really good."

With a smile, Winston nodded, "It's decent. This is a premium Ethiopian coffee bean. Justin?"

Justin nodded, turned, and left the rooftop terrace.

Once Justin had left, Winston began to speak, "One's strength determines their position, don't you agree, Jimmy, my friend?"

Jimmy nodded, and Winston continued, "The reason I asked to see you was to discuss whether you would be willing to become my partner?"

Jimmy replied with a smile, "Aren't we already cooperating?"

"Indeed," Winston said, "but I'm talking about a more advanced partnership."

Jimmy's smile vanished, and he looked seriously at Winston, "What kind of cooperation do you have in mind?"

"As a partner of the InterContinental Hotel in New York, my friend, to manage certain affairs that are not convenient for others to handle," Winston explained.

Jimmy placed his hands on the table, leaning forward, "Please, go on."

Winston talked with Jimmy for a while, and during the conversation, Justin came over with a new pot of coffee and left again.

Winston and Jimmy stood up, and the two extended their right hands to shake hands over the table.

Winston said with a smile, "Pleasure doing business with you, my friend."

Jimmy smiled too, "Pleasure doing business with you, Winston."

At the door to the rooftop, Justin approached with a bag in hand, and Winston gestured with a "please" motion, "Justin, please deliver this for me."

Justin came to Jimmy's side, and together they left the rooftop. Justin handed the bag he was carrying to Jimmy, "A gift from Winston to you."

Jimmy, smiling, said, "An unexpected bonus, thank him for me."

Justin nodded and accompanied Jimmy to the front entrance of the InterContinental Hotel. The doorman had already brought Jimmy's Mercury up in advance—a real convenience. When Jimmy came down from the rooftop, he hadn't spoken to any hotel staff, yet they had managed to bring the car to him at the entrance, a testament to their exceptional service.

Justin didn't leave; Jimmy himself drove back to his apartment.

Winston, that guy, indeed had considerable clout. Although Jimmy didn't know where the information came from, Winston had obtained all the details about his FBI identity and the cases he had been responsible for and even knew about the numerous criminals Jimmy had killed over the years.

Winston hadn't used any of this as leverage against him. The cooperation he spoke of earlier was, in strict terms, a gentlemen's agreement. That is, whenever Winston needed Jimmy's help, Jimmy could consider whether to be of assistance, with the understanding of a generous reward. Moreover, Jimmy was not part of the InterContinental Hotel system, just as Winston had mentioned; he was a friend.

Jimmy didn't know what Winston was thinking, but the condition was virtually non-binding. Although Winston said a lot, the bottom line was that he hoped Jimmy would become his partner, the InterContinental Hotel's partner in New York. It resembled being an honorary consultant or an external advisor for a big company in wuxia novels, dealing with tricky situations and receiving corresponding rewards in return.

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